WWE Television Deals

[Jack-Hammer]

I was browsing wrestlinginc.com just a few minutes ago and there were a few stories pertaining to WWE TV shows. One of the articles states that WWE's contract with Syfy, where SmackDown! airs, is due to expire at the end of next month. There's also a little snippet on the site originally reported at PWInsider.com stating that WWE officials are looking to have NXT on television in the United States sometime in September.

As far as SmackDown! goes, I don't think WWE has to worry about getting a new contract or renewing the one currently in place. Since it's debut on the channel October 1, 2010, it's constantly been the most watched show on the network, generally drawing in the upper 2 to low 3 million in viewers most of the time. If Syfy passed on another contract, it'd be a huge shock.

As far as NXT goes, it won't surprise me if NXT finds a home on Syfy as well. Since SD! is the top rated show on Syfy and airs new episodes every week, it gives WWE leverage. I remember reading that WWE gets $600,000 per episode from Syfy, so I could see them keeping that arrangement and tacking on another $100,000 for NXT. It's what ION Television pays per episode of Main Event. If it does, then I imagine they'll air it on Friday nights. SmackDown! already has a built in audience, so the likely scenario would be to have SD! as the lead in show so that some of its audience stays tuned in for NXT.

 

[Magic Mark]

Like you said, I'd be surprised if SyFy didn't renew their contract for SmackDown. It brings in a lot of people to a network that has a wide variety of science-fiction shows, which can get an average wrestling fan interested into it. I think they should keep the ball rolling.

As for NXT, I don't think they should have it on right after Smackdown. 3 hour long RAWs are long enough, so i wouldn't get excited for a 3-4 hour long WWE marathon every Friday night. But they should put it on the SyFy channel so that way they can promote it during Smackdown. Maybe the can put it on Thursday nights to compete with TNA, or they can just do it on Tuesdays. Maybe they can even do a rerun of the episode like how Mun2 does a rerun for Raw every Wednesday night.

I do think that WWE getting a TV deal for their developmental territory is rather strange, though. Because I don't remeber OVW or FCW getting a major TV deal. But I love NXT, so they deserve to have it on TV.

 

[HEEL Blazy]

I've watched tons of NXT online and I got to say I love it so I hope they do get a TV deal for it but I agree don't do it on Friday night, that's just to much lol I get tired sometimes of Raw being three hours. I say go with the Tuesday night thing and you'll have some decent ratings I think if promoted right, thing is since they'd want to try and get the ratings right at first you'd probably have a lot of top talent on it and once people see how great the NXT Talent is maybe they will stay tuned into it.

 

[Radical]

I find it kind of funny that NXT hasn't been airing in the States but airs in a lot of other countries including Canada. So a lot of international fans know all about NXT while, of course, many hardcore American fans will too because they can watch in online... which is what I do for Main Event because it doesn't air in Canada.

I heard that WWE Superstars airs on TV in other countries but not in Canada.

Anyway... I think it does make sense for WWE to renew with SyFy for SmackDown then try to get NXT on SyFy as well. I think they will put it on Thursdays and compete with TNA in the same time slot. That's what they do with it in Canada and it works well.

 

[Mac Attack]

As previously established in this thread I fully believe Smackdown will remain on Syfy for the above mentioned reasons. If a show draws well it'll stay on television simple enough.

As for NXT I do not want to see it appear on Friday, or on Monday. Those two days are full and as a fan I don't think I'd enjoy see even more programming on those days then I already do. However if WWE really wanted to push the envelope and try to hurt TNA they could move superstars to Tuesday and place NXT on Thursday nights if this is an option. This would cause wrestling to be on EVERY day of the week (once Saturday morning slam airs again.) I think whilst some fans think this is too much for WWE I think that it could really work. Plus and this may have changed I believe Syfy typically has had some of its highest programming not named Smackdown air Thursday but I may be wrong on this point. Anyways this TV deal should be great for WWE.

 

[BestntheWorld]

Syfy would have to be complete idiots not to renew the Smackdown contract as many viewers as it brings to their channel which only means money in their pocket because advertisers will pay more money to have their commercials aired during a show that they know lots of people are watching. Considering it cost almost 4 million dollars to rub a 30 second commercial during last years Super Bowl and I read an article on Forbes that said it's only a matter of time until a 30 second ad costs 10 million dollars. That being said to get rid of your most watched show would equate to throwing money away. I also agree that the NXT should be on TV, it's interesting, it's fun to watch, it's just like watching the main roster storylines and all and it would be fun to follow the wrestlers from their beginning when they start out as a rookie in NXT and watch their character grow and develop over the years... that in itself is a good enough reason to put it on TV. It's not always easy finding the episodes online and not everyone wants to spend the time or effort to do so either. I dont think it should be on friday and honestly I wouldnt even put it on Syfy, but i'd follow the same basic idea. I would find a pretty popular channel that already gets a lot of male viewers and put it on there so that another WWE show can become the most watched show on another channel making it a near guarantee that they will want to keep it there and at some point if you include total divas which is extremely entertaining and im a guy that HATES reality shows, but it's very interesting seeing what their lives are like and what working for the company is like and since John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Jimmy Uso (Jon) is featured on the show quite a bit as well I wouldnt be surprised if that became the most watched show on E. So as I was saying at this point with Raw, Smackdown, Main Event and Total Divas, if they do start televising NXT I think we'll see very soon some form of WWE on every night of the week which would be quite the accomplishment and something I wouldve never thought would happen when I was 14 and watching Raw is War

 

[CanYouDigIt98]

Over here in England, we have WWE have its own home on SkySports3. At least one form of WWE Programing a day, Smackdown and Raw airing on Mondays and Fridays with repeats twice of so a week, NXT airs, WWE specials and previews occasionally air (toward PPV) and Skysports1 also airs 'smaller' budget PPVS live! It's fantastic for WWE. Creates new viewers while old ones tune in, Long term deal and also generates a lot of cash.

I think WWE should have a deal in Place with a US based network where they have all rights to WWE Programing. ( I'm unsure on all the legal stuff).

 

[Ultra Awesome]

It's really cool how the WWE has branched out programming throughout the week. There's practically wrestling every day to watch now. This is good cuz true attention comes from the more availability of a substance.

Right now, that deal for NXT to come back to television needs to go down. I bet a ton more people would watch it a ton more if it was just on television. Especially nowadays what with shit.

As for Smackdown, it's good at Syfy--tiz one of the biggest network's out there straight up.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Syfy would have to be complete idiots not to renew the Smackdown contract as many viewers as it brings to their channel which only means money in their pocket because advertisers will pay more money to have their commercials aired during a show that they know lots of people are watching.

That's true, yet I don't think it's a question of Syfy not wanting to renew....it's more that the network doesn't yet know what WWE is going to want to keep their programming where it is. If you're the most watched program on a network, it seems certain that other networks have taken notice and Syfy might worry that WWE would shop their product to others, leaving Syfy with the problem of wondering if it's worth it to pay more for Smackdown .....or whether they could even afford to.

When you've got the top-rated program, you're really in the catbird seat when it comes to renewing contracts. I wouldn't be surprised to see WWE hold up the network for a ton of money....even with the ultimate intention of keeping their business where it is.

As for NxT, I still say WWE has way too much programming on the air already, and this is only going to make it worse. But then, I'm not a television executive and don't know what constitutes market oversaturation.

Hopefully, WWE does.